(1) Field of the Invention
The present invention generally relates to a method and an apparatus for controlling the temperature of a vehicular seat and more particularly, to a centralized temperature controller which is remotely deployed from the vehicle seat and which may be used to remotely control the temperature of the seat by selectively sourcing or causing electrical power to be provided to the temperature control assemblies which are deployed upon and/or within the vehicle seat.
(2) Background of the Invention
Typically, the temperature of a vehicular seat is controlled by the use of at least one selectively energizable heater or heating assembly and at least one selectively energizable cooling assembly. Particularly, each of these assemblies are deployed upon and/or within the seat and are each respectively coupled to a relatively high current switch (e.g., a switch which is adapted to operatively receive in excess of about twenty amperes of electrical current). More particularly, each of the switches are deployed upon the seat and are coupled to a source of electrical current (e.g., the vehicular battery) and to a controller which receives instructions from a user of the vehicle that a certain amount of hot or cold energy is to be generated and communicated to the seat. The controller, upon receipt of the instruction, generates and communicates a signal to at least one of the switches, effective to cause electrical current to flow through the at least one selected switch and energize the temperature control assembly which is coupled to that switch.
While the foregoing configuration does allow the temperature of the vehicular seat to be selectively controlled, it suffers from some drawbacks. For example and without limitation, the placement of the switches upon the bottom surface of the seat undesirably increases the likelihood of damage to the switches caused by materials which are typically placed under the seat, and further increases the difficulty in removing and/or servicing the switches (i.e., the entire seat typically must be removed in order to allow the switches to be removed or serviced). Moreover, placement of the switches upon an exposed surface of the seat, in order to reduce the cost and complexity of removing and servicing the switches, is aesthetically undesirable and further increases the likelihood of damage to the switches. Further, the use of separate switches (e.g., one for each temperature control assembly) further undesirably increases overall production and maintenance costs, and the placement of the switches within the vehicular seat, to reduce the likelihood of damage, further undesirably increases the cost and complexity of servicing and/or removing the switches. Moreover, these high current type switches are relatively expensive.
It is a first non-limiting advantage of the present invention to provide a method and an apparatus for controlling the temperature of a vehicular seat which overcomes some or all of the previously delineated drawbacks of prior strategies.
It is a second non-limiting advantage of the present invention to provide a method and an apparatus for controlling the temperature of a vehicular seat which overcomes some or all of the previously delineated drawbacks of prior strategies and which, by way of example and without limitation, obviates the need for relatively high current switches which are operatively deployed upon and/or within the vehicular seat.
According to a first non-limiting aspect of the present invention, an assembly is provided. Particularly, the assembly includes a selectively energizable seat heater; a selectively energizable seat cooling apparatus; and a controller which selectively provides electrical power to the heater and to the cooling apparatus, effective to selectively energize the heater and the cooling apparatus, thereby controlling the temperature of a seat.
According to a second non-limiting aspect of the present invention, a vehicle is provided. Particularly, the vehicle includes at least one seat; an instrument panel; a climate control assembly having a first portion which is deployed within the instrument panel and which is coupled to a source of electrical power; and a selectively activatable second portion which is deployed within the at least one seat and which is coupled to the first portion, effective to allow electrical power to be communicated from the first portion to the second portion and to allow the temperature of the at least one seat to be controlled by the selective activation of the second portion in response to a receipt of electrical power from the first portion.
According to a third non-limiting aspect of present invention, a method is provided for controlling the temperature of a vehicular seat. Particularly, the method includes the steps of placing a heater upon the seat; placing a cooling assembly within the seat; providing a controller; remotely locating the controller from the seat; coupling the controller to the heater and to the cooling assembly; and coupling the controller to a source of electrical power, thereby allowing the heater and the cooling assembly to be selectively energized through the controller, effective to control the temperature of the seat.